Top 10 most used baby items

Well, I probably could have written my top favorite baby items long before I had a baby, after working in an infant room for many years... And it probably would be the same list (minus the cloth diapers, a few years ago, I would've thought that was nuts!:-) So here are a few baby items that I use most often and love and pretty much couldn't live without now that we have sweet Anna.

1) My Moby wrap and Mei Tei!  I love that I can carry Anna around (since she loves to be snuggled) and still get things like laundry, dishes, vacuuming, etc... done around the house.  It's nice to have her close and when she's fussy, putting her in one of the carriers instantly calms her down. 

2) The swing!  Anna LOVES her swing.  She likes to play in it and sleep in it and it's so fun to see her enjoy it! 

3) The infant sleep and play.  It's like a hammock/cradleish thing that we found for her to sleep in.  She HATED the pack n play, I think it was just too open for her, she likes to be swaddled and snug when she sleeps.  So we found this and she sleeps GREAT in it!  It's wonderful and it rocks, so putting her back to sleep at night is super easy!  We've started to have her sleep in the pack n play more during the day and she's doing better, so when we decide to move her to her crib, hopefully it goes weel!

4) Formula dispensers.  We have some single and triple dispensers that you can pre-scoop formula into!  It's life saver in the middle of the night and for going out places.  And since the formula scoopers are the same size as the opening of her bottle, the formula dispensers save us a lot of formula mess and waste!

5) Cloth diapers!  I love using cloth diapers even more than I thought I would.  They're so easy and her bottom always stays dry with them.  We had a little leakage issues at the beginning but soon learned we just weren't drying them enough.  Now we very rarely have a leak and if we do, it's usually when we're out and I just didn't change her as often as I do at home!  I just love the fact that her little bottom is covered in a soft material that keeps her free of chemicals and scratchy paper!  And it works well that the little 4 month old that I watch every day uses cloth as well, so I never have stinky diapers sitting around in trash cans until garbage pick-up.  My house doesn't smell like poop :-)!  Her little bum is just so cute in the diapers!

6) Cloth wipes.  Well, with my diapers, I use cloth wipes (actually, most of them are just baby wash cloths).  I just spray them with water from a spray bottle and wipe!  I very rarely have to use more than one (unlike the slimy store bought ones when you have to use a billion to get the job done) and again, they're nice and soft on her butt and don't make it raw like I've seen wipes do a lot! 

7)  Wet bag.  Since I'm on the cloth diaper theme... I couldn't live without my wet/dry bags.  They keep dirty diapers contained and I wash them when I wash the diapers.  They're easy to take with me wherever I go and they keep the smell/any fluids from escaping!  We just got a second one for a shower and it's been wonderful!

8) Miracle blanket.  Since she loves to be swaddled and she's a little escape artist, the Miracle blanket has been WONDERFUL!  She can't get out of it and she falls asleep almost instantly when we wrap her in it. We reserve it only for night time and that seems to help her distinguish longer sleeping times vs. naps! 

9) Dishwasher bottle holder thing...  Very practical and kinda boring, but we use it like 2 times a day.  It's got a place for all of her bottle pieces and keeps them contained and gets them washed nicely!

10) Finally, the play gym.  Anna loves to lay and play on it, it's got lights, sound, and a mobile that spins and she spends a lot of time playing on it!  Enjoy the video of her playing on it!

 So with that, we are so thankful to all of the people that have sent cards, gifts, and most importantly prayers.  We couldn't function without all of our family and friends and their support and prayers!  We are so blessed and so thankful!  It's a huge load lifted off knowing we are surrounded by people who love us and who love Anna so much!