Five on Friday: Infant Essentials

I previously wrote a post on the things that I found essential during those first weeks home with a newborn. (You can check that post out here). Now that Joseph is three months old, he's more alert and aware of his environment, he's smiling and laughing, and starting to grab onto toys. His needs are changing too, which means there is a brand new batch of baby stuff that I find essential.

1. Baby Swing. We still depend on this a lot, but now it's more than just a place to plop him down. He sleeps in it during the night if he wakes up stuffy and needs to have his head elevated. He hangs out in it while the rest of us rush around getting things done, and just watches and smiles at us. (It stays in the living room, which is the hub of our apartment, and gives him the perfect vantage point for tracking the rest of us with his eyes.) He's also taken an interest in the toys that hang down from the bar. He's even grabbed on to some of them, and delights in his accomplishment. I'll often hear him chatting away to the toys as he swings happily back and forth.

2. Playgym. When Stephanie was a baby, she loved hers right from the get-go. It didn't light up though, and both of my babies love to stare at lights. So when Joseph was about a month old, I borrowed my sister's, and whenever I set it up Joseph would stare at the lights. We didn't use it often though, because space was an issue, and I also wasn't comfortable leaving Joseph on the floor with Stephanie around. We recently set up all Stephanie's toys in our brand new playroom, which opened up a spot on our living room floor. The gym is now up all the time, and it's a lot easier to put him on it while she's eating or napping or busy in the playroom. He still adores the lights, and also love s the toys that rattle. He has figured out that he can use both his hands and his feet to move them.

3. Ergo carrier. This is, hands down, the best carrier ever. I was never a strong baby-wearing supporter with Stephanie, because she was content to ride in her stroller. But this little boy loves to be close to his Mommy. He cries if he's in his carseat in the back of a shopping cart, isn't thrilled with the stroller, and gets upset when he can't see me. Enter the Ergo. I can wear him for hours without my back bothering me, he can watch the world around him, but lay his head down when he's tired, and I have full use of both hands.

4. BundleMe. Ok, this one has nothing to do with Joseph's age, but the changing of the weather has made it an essential part of our day-to-day life. Strapping him into his carseat and zipping up the BundleMe is so much easier and quicker than putting him a coat or snowsuit.

5. Bumbo chair. We recently started using this, and he loves it. We have the little tray that clips on, so he can sit and look at toys. He's started to realize that he can use his hands to make his toys do things (like rattle, light up, etc.), and the Bumbo with tray attached allows him to that while strengthening his neck muscles and getting him ready for the excersaucer.

It's amazing how quickly 3 months have gone by, and also how much the needs of my baby have changed. Of course, every baby is different, but I have found these five things to be such lifesavers for us during our busy days.

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