A few of my favorite things: Baby edition

My baby boy is 4 months! Holy cow, time flies when you’re having fun. There are so many baby items out there today. I remember when I started thinking about registering, I was so overwhelmed! What do I really need and what is a waste of time, space and money? Having had some experience with my sister’s children and not being the first of my friends to have a child, I had plenty of great resources, but still, I didn’t want to register for things that were frivolous or unnecessary. My husband and I went to BabiesRus to buy a gift for a friend when he said to me after leaving “I wouldn’t mind if you registered with your mom and sister.” HA! How sweet? I was actually relieved to hear him say this. He is not a good shopping partner by any means. He will follow me around, not walk beside me, with his arms crossed on his chest. Strangers probably can’t even tell we are together! I always get so frustrated, even though I know how it will be. So, I then scheduled a time when the three of us could go and register at the biggest baby store of them all. Even with their expertise, it was so amazing that this little nugget in my belly could require so much stuff! Now that I have all this stuff, there are some things that I could not live without. Every mom is different and obviously her needs change based her lifestyle, number of children and budget. I want to share with you my favorite things and things that Baby and I could not live without. Oh, and before you plan that trip to BabiesRus, keep in mind that they almost always have a “20% off one item” coupon. You can also sign up for their rewards program to get coupons and reward dollars. Amazon.com is also a great resource for baby items and they usually have great prices. Target, Walmart and Meijer also have many generic items for baby basics that are much cheaper but still have great quality. My best advice is beg, borrow and steal. Odds are that one of your friends may have an item that you can try before you buy or they may let you borrow because their child doesn’t use it anymore. Second hand stores like Once Upon a Child also have great deals too, saving you up to half of what you would pay for new.

Aden and anais swaddle blankets. I love the prints and the fact that the blankets are so lightweight. We are all hotboxes in my family. I swear our temperatures run a little higher than normal. There's also have a cheaper version of the blankets at Target. Those are a little smaller in size but still adorable. We have some of both.

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Baby slings! OMG, these are the best. Why do I need them all you ask? Well, friends and family have lent them to me and we have used each one. They each have their own benefits and different uses. 1. The Peanut Shell classic sling; this is the first sling that I used. I actually washed it and it shrunk thanks to me not telling my husband that it shouldn't be dried. I loved where baby was placed on my body for this one. They only problem is that if you favor one side, which I did, it can cause major shoulder and neck pain. 2. The Moby wrap is pretty awesome. A friend lent this to me and she swore by it. After I looked up the instructional videos on youtube, I have to admit, it's pretty awesome! There are many different holds for baby and due to the cross cross in the back, no back and neck strain because of how the sling is styled. 3. The BabyBjorn carrier is perfect for shopping. At first, my son didn't really like his legs hanging down out of the carrier. Now that he is older, he really enjoys looking around and can be turned face in or out. 4. The Maya Wrap was also lent to me by a friend. We were looking for a sling that would fit my husband and she had one that was adjustable. I will admit, we thought it super sucked for a while. Well, we weren't using it correctly. We were using it backwards. Duh! It's perfect for him but sits a little low for me. For some reason, even though it's adjustable, I can never get it to sit high enough. There are many different carrying positions though.

Gotta love the Pampers Baby-Dry diapers. Luckily, my son isn't particular about a wet diaper, but these last 12 hours and don't leak. They are perfect for overnights when you don't want to wake your babe up in the middle of the night.

Zippered PJs are a must in my house. At first, I thought they were a total pain in the you know what. Now, we can't live without them. We do bath time every night and my son is ready for bed the moment that diaper is on. The zipper PJ allows for fast and easy dressing. My husband has bath duty and prefers this style to the snappy kind. The PJ shown above are from Carter's.