in my humble opinion...

The other day I was at Target getting something for Avery, and I saw this pregnant lady standing in front of a daunting row of high chairs with her baby registry scanner in hand, on the phone saying, "what the heck do I need for this baby?" I felt her confusion, I felt her anxiety. I asked her if she wanted help and she gladly accepted. I basically got to register with hindsight. There are A LOT of things that I registered for that I would not register for again. Of course, Avery is unique just like any baby so what might work for her could possibly not work for another. This future mom just needed some guidance, and if one thing is for sure, I have been up and down the aisle of the Target baby section many, many times.

So, here goes. If I could register again, what I would ask for:

These swaddle blankets by aden and anais. Avery loved to be swaddled to sleep and these were big enough and had enough stretch so that when she was really tightly swaddled, she could still move comfortably. They are made of muslin cotton which is heavenly. I wish I had these in the hospital. Whenever the next one comes along, I will definitely be putting these in the hospital bag. 

Same company, only these are made with bamboo fibers which makes them so soft and snuggly. Avery isn't swaddled anymore, but for her naps and bedtime, if we lay one of these on top of her, her brain is triggered, "sleep time" and she wraps herself in one of these. I can't blame her, I'm thinking of getting sheets made of this fabric. The prints are fabulous too.



If you couldn't tell, sleeping is a big deal in the beginning. We were given this miracle blanket from a dear friend and it is amazing! You kinda feel weird when you're putting in on the babe, but she loves it. Avery LOVED this thing until she got too big for it. I would recommend this for sure.

 

And speaking of sleeping, for the first 3 months, Avery napped in this bouncer. We were given this from a friend who used it for their kiddos. We took off the rain forest archway of madness and we always made sure that we had plenty of D batteries to keep this think vibrating. Avery loved it, and when we discovered it, we loved it too. It helped extend her naps. And yes, we swaddled her and set her in this thing with our watchful eye very close. As she transitioned from being swaddled, we strapped her in at the bottom for her legs to stick out.

On to eating. So, Avery and I weren't too compatible for nursing. After about 2 months of giving it all we had, formula it was. These bottles were/are great. We have the glass ones and we love them. We choose Dr. Brown's because they had glass options, which is what we wanted, and they have all these parts that make for less air to come in while the baby eats. It's said that the bottle is the closest to nursing, so I found them to be great. We bought 4 at 4oz, and we have 6 at 8oz. That was all we needed for her. We could probably have used less, but when Avery went to my friends house during the day when I worked, we made all her bottles, and one extra the night before so we needed multiple ones. 

Speaking of eating, when the Avery got big enough for a high chair we has this huge one that took up a lot of space. It was great in the beginning until she found it fun to use the curved edges as a launching pad to fling peas all of the place. I found this seat at a thrift store for $2.75 and then I ordered a replacement tray. Total cost: $6. Pretty pleased there, however, this runs only $25. I would recommend this over a high chair any day. It provides the same amount of support as a high chair. I love that is doesn't take up much space. 

 



I have loved cloth diapering. I have no idea what it would be like to diaper the other way so I can't offer any opinions there. I do think we're saving money, but I just enjoy it. We have a cloth diapering store in town, but if you don't, I would use Green Mountain Diapers for what you need. These are the diapers we used and the shells.



Avery's favorite, most loved, most used, mom and dad's go to toy. She loves her some wooden blocks. She loves to sort the colors. We have yet to match shapes or anything, but she loves to slam dunk them into the box and then clap for herself. This, in my book, is a "can't live without" toy.

Big props to my sister in law Julie. She knew we would need one of these so she went ahead and ordered us one. We use it all the time. We have a jogger that we love, but for simple walks to the store or around the neighborhood, the jogger is a bit bulky. This think is perfect, and easy fold. So glad we have it.

I will end with this because I wish I had this on day one. We registered for a baby bathtub that was cute and great, but took up a lot of space when not being used. This amazing sponge thing fits perfectly in the sink which was an ideal place to bathe Avery before the tub. Now in the tub, we set this down and she sits there. Plus, I'm pretty sure it's like $5. And that little dot in the center tells you when it's too hot. Love it!