My Favorite Baby Products 3 Months in

Here are a few of our must haves at this stage. They make life much easier for all of us.

Swaddleme Swaddling blankets

Before Nathan was born, I was determined to learn how to swaddle him. I read the best ways to swaddle and practiced on baby dolls, but I still couldn’t figure it all out. When we brought Nathan home from the hospital I tried to swaddle him with regular blankets and I could never get it tight enough. He’s always been a wiggle worm. Then I remembered that I had some Swaddleme blankets and they are amazing. They velcro instead of just tucking the blanket in and I can get him swaddled tight enough that he can’t wiggle out of it. We have swaddled him at night since day one, and I usually swaddle for most of his naps during the day. He sleeps much better when he is swaddled and these blankets make the job so much easier.

Aden and Anais swaddling blankets

Even though I don’t use these blankets to swaddle Nathan they are still great to have around. They are so big that they are perfect for him to lay on when he is playing on the floor. They are also light weight which is perfect during the summer when Nathan needs something to cover up his bare legs but nothing really heavy. They are my favorite blankets that we have.

Wubbanub pacifier

This lovely little pony has been great. Nathan loves his pacifiers and usually needs them when he is tired and ready for sleep. However, he is still not super about keeping it in his mouth. I got the idea from a blog I read to use this pacifier. I can swaddle him with the stuffed animal so that the pacifier doesn’t fall out of his mouth It’s genius He falls asleep so fast when he is able to keep the pacifier in his mouth. I usually only use this specific pacifier at night and he naps with his regular pacifiers during the day. It has been a huge help.

Boppy Pillow

I love my boppy and use it for every feeding while we are at home. It makes it so much easier to support Nathan while I am feeding him and gives my arms a break. Eventually I’m sure I’ll use it for tummy time and for support for sitting up when Nathan gets a little older. We’ve even used it as a prop when we’ve taken baby pictures. My mom knows how attached I am to it that she bought one for her house so I have one when I feed him over there.

Medela Breast Pump This Is probably my favorite baby item that I have. When I got pregnant, Matt and I decided that it would be best for me to breastfeed Nathan exclusively for at least six months (if things continue to go as well as they have, I’m sure I’ll continue past six months). As a mom, it is important to me to know that I am providing the best possible nutrition for Nathan that I can, and research clearly shows that the best nutrition for babies is breast milk. Of course there are advantages and disadvantages for choosing nursing over formula ( I read ALL about both types of feeding before he was born). The biggest advantages of breastfeeding in our opinion are the superior nutrition and the cost. However, there are disadvantages with nursing, and the one I was most worried about is the fact that Nathan and I are pretty much handcuffed together. Most of the time that’s not a big deal because we are together almost all the time already, but there are definitely times when I need a break and having a breast pump gives us a little longer leash. For me the breast pump means date nights and nights of mostly unbroken sleep (when daddy would take the middle of the night feeding). It also helps when we are out doing something where I don’t want to be isolated by myself for 30 minutes to feed him. I’m also able to still work a little and plan on starting again in the Fall. Nathan has always taken a bottle like a champ, and although we aren’t planning a week long vacation without Nathan until he is weaned (not like I could leave him for that long anyway at this age), we are able to get out and do things with more flexibility because of this handy contraption and the stash of frozen milk I have in the freezer.

On Becoming Baby WiseThis has probably been the most helpful book I have read about babies and feeding and sleep and schedules. I don’t follow everything strictly because Nathan is a unique baby, but there are several principles that I worked hard to implement and they have really helped:

Utilizing the feed, wake, sleep cycle so Nathan doesn’t become dependent on nursing to fall asleep

Laying Nathan down for a nap while he is still awake, so he learns to fall asleep on his own (I usually still rock him mostly to sleep at night, but put him down when he is drowsy during the day)

Focusing on getting in full feedings (no snacking) to stabilize metabolism.

Saving long stretches of sleep for nighttime even If it requires waking Nathan up from a nap to feed him during the day.

The authors state that when the Babywise principles are followed most babies will begin sleeping through the night (9-10 hour stretches between feedings) by 7-9 weeks. Nathan started sleeping through the night at 8.5 weeks. We still have had a few nights where he wants to eat in the middle of the night but for the most part he sleeps wonderfully at night. I credit part of it to my incredible son, but also give credit to the principles in this book. I reference this book all the time for information about length of nap times, number of feedings, length between feedings, etc. as Nathan grows. I plan on pulling out Babywise II in a couple of months when we get ready to start on solids.