1. Best parenting books I've read for baby schedules/sleep: The Happiest Baby on the Block (I got the DVD since as a new parent I wasn't doing much reading in my "spare time") and Happy Sleep Habits, Happy Child.
2. A jumparoo or exersaucer is a lifesaver for the 4-9 month age range. Carter was fairly content jumping away as I quickly went to the bathroom, did dishes or made dinner. (Who am I kidding, I never make dinner). This is the one I have, but that was based soely on a superficial level- I liked the colors best. OH, and it had the highest hight limit, which I knew I needed for my monster of a son.
3. This should really be my first point instead of my third, but I'm too lazy to change the order of the numbers to anything other than the order that things pop in my head. Sorry. This is one lesson I learned just in the nick of time before I blew my entire budget on baby items: YARD SALES ROCK. People are always selling kid stuff at yard sales. Never buy any new baby gear, and certainly not any toys, until you've gone to a few yard sales. I always see exersaucers (usually $30 max), bumbos, books, TONS of toys, strollers, you name it. I draw the line at car seats (for safety reasons) but pretty much 100% of the items in my playroom are from yard sales. This beauty below I got for $5! With a good cleaning, many things become good as new.
4. I also have a couple of consignment shops that I frequent for clothes. It is painful to spend even $20 on an outfit that they wear maybe 3x before they grow into the next size. Used baby clothes are usually in great condition because they aren't worn very long! All of Carter's clothes are mostly hand-me-downs or consignment store/yard sale finds.
5. This book is the holy grail of all baby food books. It is awesome. Word of caution however: the homemade aspect/nutrition aspect is a little overwhelming, especially for busy working moms, so take much of that with a grain of salt. VERY helpful, however, is a list of when to introduce your baby to what foods, as well as how to prepare/store food if you do choose to make some of your own. Some foods I found very easy and convenient (and cheap!) to make on my own, and others it was worth it to buy. Regardless, this book gave me all the info I needed to know (and then some. Lots actually.)
6. This website is a close second when it comes to baby food introduction/preparation. Very helpful alone or with the book above.
7. These are the spoons, bowls and sippy cups that I use. No problems, no regrets. I especially love that the bowls have lids (huge to life) and are microwaveable and dishwasher safe. I also think that starting to give Carter a sippy cup with water around 6 months after every meal really helped him catch on fast. By 9 months he was taking his milk in a sippy cup instead of a bottle, and we were done with bottles forever!
8. Carter always preferred these pacifiers to other types. He stopped liking soothies around 2 months. Then he stopped liking them all together at 4 months and preferring his thumb!
9. Sleep sacks are the best for summer sleeping. Sleepers were just too hot and stuffy. Just put them in a onesie, zip them up in the sleepsack and that's it!
10. This thing is awesome for storing bath toys and even has a little ledge to put baby soap on. That way your bathtub isn't littered with baby stuff all the time and it all stays in one compact spot. I got mine on craigslist for $10 after looking for it at yard sales for months! I don't know that it is worth $45, but it is pretty awesome.
11. Love this high chair. It saves so much space, is easy to transport if needed, cleans easily, and the tray can even go in the dishwasher. Plus, it converts to a booster seat when the baby gets bigger!
12. Things that make bibs awesome: snaps (babies easily learn how to rip off velcro, plus it gave Carter a rash at the back of his neck), waterproof-ability and washability. I never really did like the plastic pocket ones...the pockets never stay open, they are hard to clean, and they seemed uncomfortable. In my opinion, Carter's makes the best snap bibs.
13. This stuff works awesome for getting blowout poo stains off of clothing before washing!
14. Yes, it sounds gross, but this thing is seriously the best investment ever. I promise-NO SNOT GETS IN YOUR MOUTH! Those nasal aspirators are crap and hardly do anything at all. A couple saline drops with the Nose Frida and Carter could finally breathe again, which means we ALL get some sleep!!
15. Carter still sleeps to white noise, and that works for me because he sleeps awesome both at night and during naps. If he needs white noise until he's 20 to sleep, so be it. After realizing that our awesome cloud b sound giraffe (which is still great for the car or somewhere else without electricity available) turns off after 45 minutes (and thus, he would wake up after 45 minutes), we bought this sound machine which has been an amazing investment. It is also just as portable as the giraffe for travel/play dates that require naps! LOVE it.
16. I like to slice up bananas and apples and freeze them and then put a slice in these for Carter to munch on. Its easy to prepare, he gets the nutrients from the fruit, and he can't choke on it. Plus, its nice if he's teething!
17. Food pouches are awesome for on the go. Carter learned to just suck the food right out, which creates absolutely zero mess, doesn't require a spoon or a bowl, and is awesome in a pinch. At home we use either homemade purees or jars (just because of price) but the pouches can't be beat.
18. Baby proofing stuff is way more expensive than I expected. I've gotten some stuff (outlet covers and plugs, etc) at yard sales or consignment stores along the way, but I've had to buy some stuff new too. My only advice on this is start registering for/looking for cheap finds early on so you have to buy as little as possible new!
19. Another awesome thing to get consignment/yard sale/hand me down: SHOES. They are darn expensive, and of course the best quality ones are usually Stride Rite, which are more expensive than shoes I buy for myself. I've been picking up shoes whenever I see them on sale (no matter the size-he'll grow into them eventually!) and I've been pretty lucky with hand me downs so I haven't had to buy a lot of shoes. It is important to keep in mind that for early walkers, they should have a soft sole like Robeez.
20. Another food item which is sweet for mashing fresh foods like banana and avocado. These are nice too, when they start eating puffs/cheerios.
21. I love this humidifier. Don't waste money on a crappy one like I did.
22. For toys, I am pretty firm about never buying new: but if people ask for gift purposes, Carter has been really into balls and stacking cups, although he'll play with pretty much anything, especially things he's not allowed to play with...this is his current favorite toy, which I got at a yard sale for $2.
OK, I think 22 items is enough for now. I'm sure there will be an update in the next year when he outgrows all this stuff!
