Cooper's Favorites {0-3 Months}

This post should be titled "Cooper and Mommy's Favorites".

I've seen quite a few "Baby Must Haves" type posts floating around Blogland lately and my sweet cousin Ashley (Check out her blog! She is precious and has the most beautiful baby girl, Bennett Grace!) just did one and she got me thinking I should share what has worked for us. Partly to help some new mommies and mommies-to-be's out and partly because I would like to remember for my sake (my mind these days...).

I'll just jump right in...

 

Cooper started sleeping through the night at 7 weeks and I honestly think a lot of it had to do with these little beauties. If we swaddled him with a blanket, he would bust right out and wake himself up, but with these he stays in and sleeps like, well, a baby. They come in fleece or cotton. We have the fleece ones, so a short sleeved onesie and socks underneath keeps Cooper just warm enough. Even on cold winter nights.

 

 

There a tons of different choices out there when it comes to burp cloths. Aden and Anais have an awesome brand of burby bibs BUT I'm telling you when it comes down to it, these are our favorite. They are just plain white cloth diapers that you can find at Walmart. We have probably 50 of these and always have 3 or 4 with us. They are the perfect size and they are SO absorbent (clearly, they were meant for little bottoms after all.). I have changed Cooper's diaper on one before and used them as a bib, too. They also wash wonderfully. Cheap and simple! You obviously don't have to monogram them, but it sure makes them cute!

 

 

These bibs are my favorites for the newborn stage. See that little padded part at the neck? That is what makes them SO great! It forms a barrier and keeps milk from running underneath like the other brands of bibs do when they are first born and their little necks are so small.

 

 

Can you give a baby a bath without wearing an apron? Yes. Does it make life a lot easier when your infant is screaming because they HATE the bath? YES! I would wrap Cooper in the skirt part of the apron after I took him out of the bath until I could get his towel around him. It kept me dry and him warm and he would stop crying. The little mitt that it came with works well also. The little Duck Bath Buddy was pretty much the only way we got though those first few baths. We would wet it with the warm water and lay it over the areas we weren't washing. It kept him warm and he really seemed to like it.

*If you are wondering, YES Ben does wear the bath apron sometimes. Ha! Don't tell him I told you!

 



Cooper spent his first night in his crib at 3 weeks. This monitor is the only way mommy we made it through. I cannot say enough about it! This particular one has a zoom, you can pan around the room, it tells you the temperature of the room, it plays lullabies, and has a microphone so you can talk to your baby if you want. It eased my mind those first few nights and has been great ever since.

 Definitely in my top 5 MOST favorite registry gifts. 

Thanks again Aunt Kathy!

 These relieve gas.

 Ha!

 I don't know what else to say about them. They make Coop's tummy better and I think he likes how they taste because he will lick his lips. Ha! Another favorite is Gripe Water. It does basically the same thing and we interchange the two.

Keep it stocked, New Mommies!

 We use these labels every Sunday when Cooper stays in the nursery at church. Dr. Brown's bottles seem to be popular at our church, so this cuts down on the confusion. They are great because they will stretch to fit around sippy cups and bowls so they will grow with us. I've been thinking of ordering myself some to put around my water bottles, etc. when we are out.

This was one of those things that I almost didn't register for. I just figured I wouldn't use it much. WRONG! I use it everyday. It warms the bottle to the perfect temperature much quicker than running under the faucet AND it doesn't damage the quality of breast milk. Bottle warmer, you are my friend!

 

His face says it all!

 He LOVES his bouncer. It vibrates and he kicks and bounces himself and talks to the animals that hang from the bar across the top. I call it his recliner and he loves to chill in it while he watches Sprout or Baby E. He may or may not nap in it, too. :/ Unfortunately that's about to stop because we are moving to naps in the crib at 4 months. Sorry, Coop!

 

When I was pregnant, all I heard about was Boudreaux's Butt Paste. I recieved like 6 tubes, but it just didn't work for us (plus, the scent makes me gag.). So, I returned the unopened ones and swapped for Desitin. It's the bomb. I keep one in the diaper bag and one in his drawer. I rarely have to use it, but when I do it works! 

 

The swing is right up there with the monitor as far as favorites go. I love this thing and Cooper does too. He naps in it and it relaxes him before bed. The one we have is Graco. The seat part comes off of the base and his car seat snaps right in. It is nice if Cooper falls asleep in the car and I need a few minutes to get groceries in or something. I just leave him in his carseat, snap it into the swing base and he never has to be moved and he stays asleep. Love that! It plays music and you can also plug your phone up to it and play your iTunes or Pandora through it's speakers. I wish it came in adult size. Ha!

 

I did some serious research on bottles before I registered. I really liked the concept of the Dr. Brown's ones. They do have a lot of parts to clean, BUT it's worth it to me because we rarely have reflux or gas issues because of their design. I suggest the dishwasher basket and scrub brush to go along with these bottles for cleaning. They work like a charm!

 

 This timer was a life saver for me when we first came home. I was able to track his last feeding, which side I was on, diapers, etc. on it. I don't use it as much now because we are on a schedule, but I think it'll be great for tracking medication and things in the future. It clips on your pants and you are able to wear it around with you.

I went back and forth on whether or not to do a travel system. I ended up going with one because I liked the idea that I could snap him out of his carseat, into his stroller and vice versa without unstrapping him. Ours is Graco and also fits onto his Graco swing base. Ben and I both have carseat bases in our cars as well as the grandparents. That way no one has to swap and we can just click him around wherever we need to go. I did register for and recieve a carseat for when he outgrows this one that can be rear or forward facing and holds up to 70lbs. Since most travel systems only hold up to 35lbs. I would suggest doing this. The good thing is his stroller can grow with him when he can sit up on his own.

To go along with your car seat, I would also add a Padalily pad on the handle. It will SAVE your arm, Honey! Just do it and thank me later ;)

 

 

A couple of tips for buying and/or registering for baby items...

 

 



-Think about the future.

We went ahead and registered for our BIG items in neutral colors. That way if God blesses us with a girl later down the road, everything she gets handed down won't be BLUE! ;) I even chose the lime green Bumbo because lime can be boyish or girly.

 

-Browse in store, read reviews and add to online.

BuyBuyBaby is an awesome BUT overwhelming place. I found it was better to go and scan a few items that I wanted to see in person and add the rest online. It is much less stressful, plus you can read reviews on items that you are questionable about.

 

-Keep those receipts.

I never imagined that we would return our Nap Nanny. Cooper loved it so much as a newborn, but when the recall happened, we were able to return it for a credit that will help us get our highchair. You never know what will be recalled, so keep up with your receipts.

 

-Go with your instinct and buy what you love.

Don't worry about the IT thing. I am guilty of this too, but it is so much better when you buy what you love and what you think you'll use. You can always exchange, but go with your gut.

 

-Buy multiples.

Crib sheets, changing pad covers and Boppy covers, especially. Have 2 or 3 extra so when one is in the wash, you have another to put on in its place.

 

 

 

I think that's it! Hope it helps!