Must-Have Items for Babies

As many of you already know, my husband and I welcomed our second child at the first of August. In fact, this coming Tuesday, our new little guy will be twelve weeks old. I’m finding it incredible at how fast time is flying by with this little one. When I had our first son, five years ago, it seemed like time moved by very slow because I was waiting for the next milestone to happen. This time is different because I’m actually enjoying the fact that he’s little!

Okay, all parents with more than one child will tell you that there is always going to be things different with each pregnancy…and child. Since our boys are almost exactly five years apart, we have noticed a few differences. One area where there have been noticeable differences is in the must-have items for babies. It doesn’t matter if you (or someone you know) are having your first, second or third child…you may find the list below helpful. It’s just our new must-have list for babies – things that we’ve found (over the past 5 years) that have made our lives easier as parents with babies.

·         Swing: This one has literally been a life saver for my husband and I. We spent a little extra money five years ago on a “fancy” swing (as our friends like to call it). Really, it isn’t that fancy. The only thing it does differently than a lot of other swings is the seat swivels so the child can swing from side to side or front to back. I didn’t realize how handy a swing really was with my first child, but now that I’ve got an active five year old and a newborn, the swing is one of my can’t-do-without items! 

·         Video Monitor: This is a new item for us. When we had our first son, we were in a much smaller house and his room was literally a few steps across the hall from ours, so we didn’t need a baby monitor at all. However, we have recently moved into a larger house where the kids’ rooms are at the opposite end of the house as ours. So, this time around I insisted on a baby monitor – and now they have those cool video monitors where you can actually see the baby! I’ve never been so excited about something because now I can watch my little guy and make sure he’s actually awake (instead of just moving in his sleep) before I get up at 3 a.m. and trek across the house.

·         Dresser/Chester Drawers: For me, I’ve found it a huge benefit to have a set of Chester drawers for each one of my infants. I’m not one of those people who can hang every article of clothing my child owns (especially a baby). So, for me, everything goes in the drawers except the babies’ formal clothing, which always needs to be hung up.

·         Bottle Mixer: Finally, the last item on my must-have list for babies is a bottle mixer. Regardless of whether you breast feed or use formula, there will be a time when you start adding cereal to your little one’s bottles to help sustain him/her longer between meals. Babies ‘R Us sells bottle mixers, which I LOVE. I’m unable to breast feed, so our bottle mixers really get a workout since we’re already adding cereal to his bottle. In my opinion, the bottle mixer mixes the formula and cereal up a lot better than the old-fashioned “shake” does. The best part is that this must-have is less than $5.00!