Gemma is 7 months old! We had so much fun with her. Though life can be chaotic during the pandemic, I am savoring our togetherness. At 7 months, Gemma recognizes her name, loves to giggles, she flips over and back, sits independently, sleeps through the night (with serious sleep regression these past few weeks), likes to grab our drinks out of our hands, enjoys relaxing bath time, and loves story time with her sister.
This time around as second time parents, we are (or should I say I am) more prepared. Plus over the years we have saved almost all of Fina's baby's stuffs so there were less shopping to do. There are however 10 things we love and would recommend to any (new) parents.
First and foremost, a carseat. This is the first baby gear you will need to bring your baby home from the hospital. We love the Nuna Pipa, and we purchased ours from Nordstrom after checking out all the car seats available at Babies R'Us. There must have been 30-40 car seats we looked at but didn't seem fit.
We love the Nuna Pipa because it clicks easier on and off into the car seat base, it has great padding for comfort and it comes with a magnetic cover that shades the baby from the sunlight and wind, and a 5-point harness for safety.
There are countless numbers of swaddlers in the market, but NuRoo is our favorite. The swaddler is designed to grow with your baby. It has 3 sizes that fits a baby from newborn to 6 months old (after the baby starts to roll, we wrap her with her hands out). The fabric is super comfortable and it is super stretchy. Its wide leg pockets also helps promote healthy leg and hip development.
We bought these swaddlers 5 years ago (still using without issues 5 years later) but had issues with the velcro after washing them (I suggest closing the velcro before washing and placing them in mesh laundry bag), so we emailed the company asking how we could fix it. To our surprise, the company was willing to send us new swaddlers for free. We were delighted that NuRoo really stands by their products and are willing to listen to their customers feedbacks.
Besides NuRoo, we also tried SwaddleMe (too narrow for hip development but great for infant) and HALO (too many steps to wrap the baby but good for colder nights), just to give you an idea on how it compares to other popular products in the market.
Babies have lots of spit ups (first time parents don't be alarmed, it is quite normal), and these burp bibs from Aden + Anais are soft yet absorbent. It has 4 layers of muslin, and a button closure to secure its place while feeding or burping. It shrinks a little after (many, many, many) washes, but it remains in shape and milk stinks get washed off very easily. The kidney shapes fits perfectly on baby and also on our shoulders. Comes in many designs but I really like these ones with llamas and cactus.
It works like a charm! Diaper blow outs are inevitable with babies, but with these liners, clean up are easy. It has PVC free water proof backing and they withstand machines washing and drying.
We received this wipe warmer as a gift, and yes it does look like one of those things you don't think you need but yet it makes so much sense when you have one. No more screaming baby, as the wipes are warm to their delicate tushies. Since Fina and Gemma are sleeping in the same bedroom, the night light helps when we have to change Gemma's diaper in the dark.
Our favorite cream/moisturizer for the whole family. Its natural ingredients are gentle for babies and it soothes irritations fast. We apply this on our girls after showers and we often use it for ourselves as well. None of the creams in the market can compare I would say. It really heals!
We had another brand of bottle sanitizer 5 years ago, unfortunately it didn't work after we unboxed it from storage. So we bought a new (cheaper) brand of sanitizer and it works well, if not better. I usually can fit 2 feeding bottles, plus Medela pump accessories and more Medela bottles into the machine. It certainly saves you time, especially during those first few months, time is scarce as it is, you need all the help you can get.
Baby skin is so delicate, and since we had Fina, we have been using Babo Botanicals products. Their products are made in the USA, formulated with plant-based organic hypoallergenic ingredients, and they are gentle yet effective. We also love their sunscreen, hair detangler and lice repel shampoo (when Fina started preschool, we alternated with the lice shampoo to prevent lice breakouts from school).
We had the very popular Sophie-The-Giraffe when Fina was a baby, unfortunately it molded because water is trapped inside the toy after washing. Smiling Tree Toys wooden teethers on the other hand are handmade with sustainably harvested hardwood that are naturally antibacterial. "Every teether is non-splintering, silky smooth, and easy to grip." They can also be personalized with engravings that make the perfect gift and/or for keepsake. Both of our girls love them when they were teething.
Any white noise machine, just pick one. It will be the best money you ever spent for a good night sleep. The machine is for your baby, but if you have trouble sleeping too, get one for yourself. You can thank me later!
The sleepless nights, the crying, and hopefully the backaches they will pass. Enjoy the present with your baby, no matter how hard it might seems today. A wise mother once advised me: Everything Is Temporary. She just went back to work after her first born and I was just weeks away from giving birth to my first born. I didn't know what she meant by that when we talked, not until months later I was struggling with postpartum depression and I remembered what she said to me. Take it one day at a time and kiss your baby until they refuse to be kissed (I hope that day will never come). XOXO
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