Owen's Favorite Things

I had a few friends ask for our Hospital Must-Haves List and also our Baby Must-Haves List.  I'm sure I could go on and on about things we love for Owen and things he loves, but these are the ones that top our list.  

Cloud B Sleep Sheep
We have the big one for his crib & the small one for travel.

Aden & Anais swaddle blankets
These are great for swaddling, cuddling with, covering the car seat with, cool enough for hot Texas weather & snuggly enough for cold days.

Carter's Keep Me Dry Multi-use Pads
We lay one under him in his crib & have one on his changing table.  I don't know about girls, but in the beginning, he would pee all the time when we changed his diaper and would leak when he slept.

Carter's Elephant Velour Blanket
We lay this over the dry pad and under him in his bed.  I push the edges right up next to him so he feels cuddled when he sleeps.  This is the softest blanket ever!!!!

Summer Infant Swaddle Me
At first, we swaddled Owen in his Aden & Anais blankets, but he soon started to bust out of those.  :)  These were great to really get him snug and were not easily broken out of.

The First Years American Red Cross Grooming Kit
We didn't get the entire kit, but the brush from this kit is amazing!  I've tried other ones, and this one is the best!  Little man gets a comb over at least once a day...a good comb is very important! :)

Johnson & Johnson Safety Swabs
I clean/dry out O's ears after every bath, and these are great to make sure that I don't stick the swab in too far.  I also have to use these to get those pesky boogers that won't come out with the nasal aspirator.  

Fisher-Price Cradle Swing My Little Snug-A-Bunny
Owen LOVES this.  When he was itty bitty, this is the only way he would nap.  Now, he loves it for independent play time.  It can be used with batteries or be plugged in, has multiple seat positions, face multiple directions, plays different sounds/music, and the little birdies can fly 'round & 'round.  There's also a mirror that he loves to look into.

Fisher-Price Bouncer My Little Snug-A-Bunny
He didn't really like this at first, but now he loves to sit in it and watch cartoons.  I think it's less stimulating, so he gets bored more easily.  It's good, too, for him to sit in while I read him books or play toys with him.

Boppy Upholstered Newborn Lounger
This was fabulous when O was first born, because he could lay in it on the couch and either look around or take a little cat nap in it.  We now travel with it so he can have somewhere to lounge when someone isn't holding him.  It was a great gift...Thank you Aunt Danielle & Aunt Ashley!

Skip Hop Treetop Friends Activity Gym
We play on this every day, multiple times a day.  He is getting really good at grabbing and hitting the little animals.  Each one does something different, ie. squeak, rattle, sing, etc.  We spend a lot of time playing on this!  He gets a kick out of it when he hits the owl...it makes the most noise.

Chicco Lullaby LX Playard - Graphica
We used this in our bedroom for Owen to sleep in for the first 6 weeks.  It has so many awesome components.  It has a nightlight, plays music, vibrates, has a detachable changing table, can be raised for infants & lowered for when they're older and playing in it, retractable privacy shades on the sides, and a detachable mobile.

These are just a few of the big things that make our days so much more fun and easy.  Obviously these things are not necessary, but they sure do help!  Some other things we really like (and are kind of "Duh" things)...

-We love the Johnson & Johnson baby bath products.  The pink bath wash & lotion is my favorite!

-We ended up loving the Pampers Swaddlers diapers and Pampers Soft Care wipes.

-After looking at many strollers and car seats, we ended up with the Chicco Cortina Travel System.  It has been amazing.  We also got the Jeep Limited All Terrain 3 Wheel Stroller.  It is fabulous for our walks around the 'hood.

-Owen still pretty much wears jammies day & night.  For the first 2 months, I only would put him in full body onesies with covered feet and the fold over sleeves.  I didn't want his hands & feet getting cold, and it also kept him from scratching his face.

-We strictly use Dreft detergent.  At first, I only used it on O's things, but since he touches us so much, I use it on all of our things now.  It's the only detergent I buy & I don't use fabric softener anymore.

-We started out using Dr. Brown's bottles, then went to Tommee Tippee, and are now back on Dr. Brown's.  I think the efficiency of bottles changes as they baby changes and starts to suck differently & find new muscles and ways to play with the bottle.  :)  

-Owen only likes one kind of pacifier...Nuk silicone pacifiers.  

-We use Similac Sensitive formula.  After trying multiple kinds during our horrendous feeding issues, we really liked this one.

-We bought a Nap Nanny when O was about 2-3 weeks old, because we thought it would help his acid reflux (if that's what he had).  However, he didn't like sleeping in it.  It now sits in our bathroom so he can watch cartoons while I shower.  He now loves it and actually prefers it over his bouncer for just chilling.

-We have burp rags in every room in the house.  I like the Babies R Us brand burp cloths best.  They're super soft and absorbent.  We used the Gerber brand for a while, but they ended up getting super ratty.

-We researched a lot of diaper bags and ended up with the Petunia Pickle Bottom Boxy Backpack in Earl Grey.  It is very spacious, has a lot of compartments, and has a cross body strap.  I really wanted a cute bag that looked like a purse, but after considering the Timi & Leslie Charlie 2 bag (that was super heavy, too deep, and a very small opening) & the Olivia bag by Storksak (cheap looking and small), we decided that the PPB bag was perfect for us.  

-We use Little Tummies all the time for gas & upset stomach.

-Owen gets major boogers...is this normal?...so we use the Little Noses saline drops to loosen them up before I use the nasal aspirator (the blue one from the hospital is the best!!!).

I'm sure there's more, but this is what comes to mind.  If I think if anything else, I'll update ya!  If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask.  Registering was so incredibly overwhelming, and I LOVED having help from my friends!  It's such a fun time!!!  Eek!  I LOVE babies!!!  {especially mine!}

XOXO