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After having Sean for almost a year now (sniff sniff) I thought I’d write up a list of things that I just could not have lived without over the past year. These are things that I’d recommend to any mom that has, or is getting ready to have, a little one.

Here goes, in no particular order:

Diaper Duck
This handy little device holds powder scented bags to wrap very dirty diapers in. Great for on the go, at a friend’s house, or better yet, in the diaper bin. Seems like no matter how good your diaper pail is, it still smells. Once we started wrapping up #2’s in these bags, no more smell in the nursery!

Vick’s Baby Rub
This stuff was a lifesaver for us! Sean battled congestion for the first 9 months of his life, and still does periodically. It is safe to use for babies 3 months and up. Slather it on their chests or backs, and even goop it on the bottom on their feet and put socks on them. Weird, I know, but it gave us many a sniff & cough-free nights. Amazing stuff.

A&D Ointment
A&D is the best diaper cream I’ve found. I think its works wonderfully, and the best part is, it has no smell! I can’t stand the smell of diaper creams; for some reason they make me want to vomit 🙂 But, this stuff is very nice, heals diaper rash overnight, and has no smell. It even comes in a great one-handed use container, which helps with wiggly babies.

“The sucker”
The TRUE lifesaver. Sean always hated getting his nose “sucked” out. We had such a hard time with congestion though, and had to do it. Someone suggested getting one of these and it has changed our lives. Sean doesn’t mind it, sometimes he actually laughs at it. We can suck him out without any mess, and it gets so much! Gross, but amazing! Totally worth the $20! It’s actually called “NasalClear” by BebeSounds, but we refer to it as “the sucker.”

Bebe Sounds Monitor
We got this monitor when we finally succumbed to Sean’s stomach sleeping. It has a small board that goes under the baby’s mattress which detects movement. If your baby stops breathing, after 15 seconds, it starts beeping. This monitor really allowed me to start sleeping soundly. I’m sure other new moms are like this too, but I had a hard time really getting a good night’s sleep b/c I was constantly worrying about Sean. This monitor put those fears to rest. Yes, there were some nights where he would slip to the corner of the crib which made the monitor would go off, but well worth it anyway. We only stopped using it a month or two ago, when we stopped worrying about him in his sleep. We’ll definitely save this for future babies!

Space Bags
I’ve seen ads for these things forever, but never tried them. I finally got them to store Sean’s clothes. I’ve stored all his clothes in various stages in these bags and they are great. I have several bags so far, they are nicely labeled with a piece of paper inside the clear bag, and on the shelves in the basement. They hardly take up any room and keep Sean’s closet (and our basement) nice and organized. Much better than trying to put his clothes in tupperwares or big bags!

Vanicream
Auntie Megan and Grammy Cahill suggested this lotion for Sean because he had really bad excema. This lotion was a miracle. We had tried everything, every type of baby lotion, baby bath/wash, and nothing helped clear up the excema. After 2 days of using the Vanicream, the exzema was all gone, and he’s NEVER had it since! I use it on him nightly, and also put it on his little cheeks, which are always red and chapped. It clears up dry skin immediatly. It has again, no smell, and is very very safe and free of all kinds of harmful stuff. Awesome product. Great for adults too!

Flashy Ducks
I got these ducks for a shower gift and they have been one of Sean’s favorite toys! They light up and flash all different colors. They have been great in the tub, in the car, and on the plane! He’s loved them since he was really little. I need to get some more, since after 11 months of play, some of the batteries are wearing out. I saw them at a store once, but I can’t find them anymore…

Ringtoy
This has been an all-time favorite of Sean’s since birth. He loves to play with it. I’m not sure why this is his favorite, he’s just seemed drawn to it since he could pick out a toy to play with. He loved looking at it as a newborn too. I don’t really remember if we got this from someone, or bought it ourselves, but it’s been great.

Huggies Overnights
These diapers have been a godsend. Sean started peeing through his diapers at night a few months ago. We spent countless nights changing diapers, clothes, and sheets in the middle of the night until I read about these on the internet. I tried them and we were saved! Sean can sleep 12-13 hours and still not pee through these things! They are a little expensive ($9.99 for 30) but well worth it. You only use 1 a day anyhow. They are a little bit hard to find; I can usually find them at grocery stores; Babies R Us don’t seem to have them.

Fischer Price Rainforest Series
This whole series of items has been terrific. Between my mom and I, we have infant bouncy seat, high chair, jumparoo, and swing. Anyone still wondering about which brand / style of these items to get, GET the rainforest items! They are all very well made and held up wonderfully. They all had things to keep Sean entertained, nice music and lots of options. A must have!

Rainforest Soother
This is actually another part of the previously mentioned series, but I had to make it it’s own item. This is a music box that hangs on the crib rails. My cousins gave it to me at a shower, saying that their children couldn’t live without it. Sean has really grown to love this. It plays really nice music and has lots of options for music/lights/movement. As Sean has grown older, he turns it on and off himself. Sometimes I’ll hear him wake up in the night, whine a little, then I hear “click, click, click.” He turns in on and off a few times, then falls back to sleep with the music. It’s been really nice, and has helped him self-soothe and learn to fall asleep by himself!

Well, I could probably go on forever, but I’ll end the list there. These are things that we couldn’t have lived without. Hope this helps anyone that’s looking for great baby items!!

-ec

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