A couple years ago I put together a list of things that were “essentials” for me during Emma’s first 6 months. Three years later, I’ve navigated through a second baby’s first half year and there were a few things we either didn’t have or didn’t use last time that were in heavy rotation with Charlotte.
1. Bandana bibs. I don’t even remember these existing three years ago, but I’ve seen them everywhere this time! We got two sets as gifts from friends and they’re awesome. On one hand, it’s really just a bib in slightly different form. On the other hand, they are really cute!
2. Aden+Anais swaddle blankets. People rave about these, but I didn’t have any last time. A friend gifted us this four pack for Charlotte and I finally discovered why they get such glowing reviews. They’re lightweight, which is perfect for Houston weather. They’re soft, which is nice for mom and baby. They’re really large, which makes it way easier to swaddle baby. They’re versatile too — I used them to shield Charlotte from the sun on our many walks last fall.
3. A swing that plugs in. We had a swing for Emma and it worked fine…except that it was battery-power only, and it SUCKS to have the swing batteries run out with a crying baby. My coworker offered to let me borrow this one and I jumped on it solely because you can plug it into the wall and never have to worry about batteries! (I kept this one downstairs and our old one upstairs, which worked out nicely.)
4. Ergo carrier. I had a Baby Bjorn last time and hated it, as well as a Moby wrap that I liked but didn’t love. This time I finally got an Ergo and it’s fantastic. I don’t use it a ton, but when I have, it’s worked really well. I can wear Charlotte for a couple hours without issue.
5. Bumbo seat. We had this for Emma and hardly used it because her chunky thighs barely fit! Charlotte’s a little smaller, so I ended up using this a lot between ~4-6 months. It was a great place for Charlotte to sit while I started dinner or did other chores.
6. Pack and play. I doubt there’s any argument about the usefulness of a pack and play or something similar. It came in handy with Emma for the first few weeks and for traveling, but got even more use with Charlotte — she slept in it in our master bedroom until she was almost 4 months old!
p.s. Of the things from my previous list, we used the same Dr. Brown’s bottles, swaddle sacks, car seat and bouncer this time around. We still use a bottle warmer too, although I bought a new one since the timer dial broke on the old one. The snot sucker hasn’t gotten any use yet…knock on wood.
