This is a motion monitor that lies underneath your child's mattress. It detects movement. If movement hasn't been felt for 15 seconds it goes off. There are a few different models you can buy. This model below is the one we have, it has 2 sensor pads. I chose this because if you have only one, that doesn't cover much of the baby's sleeping space. If the baby moves off of the sensor, the alarm will sound. So with 2, I am covering more "crib real estate". We have had a few false alarms. Sometimes Levi will line up perfectly in between the two pads.. little stinker! There are a lot of different options you can choose with the parent unit (the thing that stays in your room). It tells you the temperature of the baby's room (you can have an alarm sound if it goes out of the temperature range you want), you can turn the sound on so you can hear the baby, there is a ticking sound option that lightly beeps every 2-3 seconds letting you know baby is breathing (annoying though). I couldn't live without this thing! Even if we didn't put Levi to sleep on his tummy I would still use it! It's so nice to just roll over and see the ticker moving instead of having to get up and check on him (although I still do occasionally lol).
The picture below is not the exact one we have, but it looks pretty nice! At first, I didn't register for one of these because I was all "I'll never use it". YEA RIGHT. We've used it every day since day one. It's so nice to just set the baby down when you have to go to the bathroom, eat dinner, do laundry, whatever. I honesty don't know what I would do without it! The one we have has a bar of things hanging above baby that can be removed. It's nice for them to have something to look at and play with.
This is something I began to use around the 8 week mark. He is still a little tiny for it, but he still fits. They make an infant insert (which I had no idea about until writing this post) to fit tiny babies better. I choose this wrap over the Moby when I want him to be more awake or I can tell he wants to be more alert. This wrap gives him a better opportunity to look around. This carrier is great as they get bigger.. so it will definitely be on my "must have" list for a long time. This carrier is a bit expensive, but definitely worth it. I am thankful to have mine given to me (Thanks Heather!)
Initially we didn't have one of these. I probably ordered it when Levi was 6 weeks or so. I wish I would of had it from the very beginning because I know he would of loved it! I definitely recommend having one of these from the get go. Babies just love to lay and look at things, even when they don't know how to grab at things yet. Levi just starting batting at the toys at 12 weeks. Before this, he would just lay and look around. This also teaches them "self play", which I think is very important to teach early on. I like to give Levi about 10 minutes of this with me being out of his direct sight, but close by to monitor him. He is learning to have independent play and not count on Mama (or Daddy!) to always entertain him. The model below is the exact one we have and I love it. The great thing about it is that it collapses and folds up.. great for travel!
I have a somewhat of a love/hate relationship with the Moby Wrap, but I still love having it. It is GREAT for infant babies... they show that you can carry a bigger baby in it, but it just looks awkward to me, I'll probably switch to the Ergo when he gets bigger. But for this stage of life, I highly recommend it. It makes them feel so snuggly and almost always puts baby to sleep! When Levi was teeny weeny I would put him in this while shopping and he'd sleep the whole time. I actually did it recently (probably when he was 10 weeks) and he slept 1.5 hours in it while I grocery shopped. The picture below shows the baby's legs hanging out. We haven't tried that hold yet. We are still doing the "newborn hug hold" which has baby's feet tucked in so they're in the fetal position. Now not all babies like this wrap. I have some friends with little ones who HATE being constricted in this thing. My little guy loves it though. It's very comfortable. Here's what I don't like about it: takes some practice learning how to put it on, takes a while to put on, and it's so long that it drags on the floor while putting it on (ew). These are things I can live with since it makes Levi happy. We'll see how much use I get out of it!
So the picture below obviously isn't Levi haha. It's some "girl" apparently, since her shirt says so (thank God for that). But as you can see her passy is being held buy a "pacifier clip". I LOVE THESE THINGS and could NOT live without them. Without them, you will quickly see how frustrating it is to bend over and pick up a passy when it falls out of the baby's mouth, which happens about 1000 times a day by the way. The only thing I don't like about them is they have too much slack, so sometimes it will still hit the floor or table, yuck. But it is very beneficial when you are holding the baby, because when it falls out you don't have to bend over and get it.
You will want one of these, maybe even two indefinitely! The picture below is the exact one we have. I highly recommend the ones with the raised bed feature for when baby is little. Levi still sleeps in his raised up at 3 months old. This is so great because it will save you from buying a bassinet (which are pointless to me) because this can fit in your room and you will use it until the child is probably 3 (for napping/sleeping while not at home). This one also has the napper/changer feature as well which is great. If you choose to put baby on his back, the napper feature is awesome because it's a little elevated and keeps baby nice and snug. All you have to do is flip it over to change a diaper, it's great! We DO use our AngelCare monitor with the Pack 'n Play. We bought a separate mattress that is made just for the Pack n' Play. So the monitor lays flat on top of the hard flat piece that comes with the Pack n' Play, then we lay the extra mattress on top. Even if you don't have the monitor I recommend that additional mattress, it's a little softer than the flat piece that comes with it. When Levi starts to sit up and play on his own, this will be set up in our living room so I can put him in it to play if I need to tend to other things. And break down/set up is a breeze once you master it!
Sleeper Sacks/Gowns
I know this one is for a girl, but you get the idea! These are SO GREAT because they are minimal hassle and keep the baby cozy without using a blanket. I suggest getting a ton of these. Make sure the baby's room is cool, though, if you plan on putting them in one because they are usually made of a fleece material. They make diaper changes a breeze in the middle of the night; just zip down, change, zip up and done! You can find them practically anywhere.
I bet you're wondering why the heck this is on my list.. well I'll tell you why. When you're on the go and have a bottle that needs to be heated up, but have no means of doing it, this is a life saver! Pour very hot water in it before you leave home (it should keep warm for about 4 hours) and dunk your bottle (or breast milk bag.. which is much faster by the way!) in it and let it sit until it reaches the desired temperature. I'm not sure how this works with other bottles, but we have Dr. Brown's and you have to unscrew the stop or else it will leak, weird I know... something with the pressure I guess. The longer you need the water to last, the hotter you need to make it initially. For example, if I'm leaving the house and the baby will eat in 1 hour, I would put warm/hot water in it. If baby was going to eat in 3-4 hours, I'd put near boiling water in it. I hope that makes sense. Also, make sure you get one that will fit the size bottle you have.
Well, there are many other things I use daily, but they are your typical items that most any Mom would use. These are just a few things I thought I would share with you because some of them you may not of even though about.. but they have been very helpful to us! I plan on posting these for every baby stage. Hope this helps! Please contact me if you have any questions!!
xox
Jessica, the Mommy who's learning!
