A few of our favorite things.....the first 5 months

While I was pregnant I loved reading reviews of baby items but what I really loved was hearing what real, new moms loved for themselves and for their babies.

For the first 5 months, these are the things we have gotten the most use out of. Please note this list does not include everyday items such as onesies, diapers, wipes, clothes, changing pad, etc. that we of course love and need on a daily basis.

Infant car seat - We went with the Chicco Keyfit 30. The real selling point for us was the base. I know that sounds weird but the base for this seat doesn't use clips like other bases, it uses more of a trigger. Very easy to remove the base if needed. We found this seat was very comparable to the Graco SnugRide, which was the other seat we were considering. 5 months later and I am very happy with this seat. I have had to transfer the base to Grammy's car a few times and it was so easy to remove and reinstall. I love the bubble levels that show it is installed correctly. Elle loves this seat (as far as I can tell, she doesn't seem upset when she is in it), and although I know we will not keep her in it until she is 30 pounds like it allows, I think she will be in it for a while.
Here we are in the carseat leaving the hospital...she looks tiny!!!


Swing - Fisher Price Papasan Cradle Swing - My Little Lamb. This swing was recommended to us by our neighbor, they swore by it and said their baby loved it. I checked it out and thought not only that it was adorable, but that it looked so cozy! We got it as a shower gift and it was easy to put together. Elle LOVES this swing. She napped in it a lot her first 3 months and still enjoys laying in it. At about her 4th month she started to notice herself in the mirror overhead and the mobile. She babbles a lot while in the swing. The only negative about this is the size. It is a full size swing and takes up a lot of space.


Playard - Graco Pack'n'Play with newborn napper - We have used this everyday since Elle came home. It is in our room and Elle sleeps in it every night. She goes to bed in her crib but I bring her upstairs when I go to bed. She slept in the newborn napper until she could roll over. Now she sleeps in the bassinet part, but not for long, there is a 15 lb limit. I love the changing table that is attached, it is so convenient. It is so nice to have in our room and we use it a lot. Not going to lie, sometimes it is just a catch all for books, extra blankets and toys, but it gets a lot of use as a changing table as well. Even when Elle moves to her room permanently I think we will still use this. We even took it up north with us and used it in the hotel as her crib. It is easy to put up and take down. It came with a music box and a vibrating unit that goes under the mattress but we have not used either of these features.


Playtex Original Drop-In's bottle system - Although Elle is breastfed we registered for bottles knowing they would come in handy at some point. She doesn't get bottles often but when she does, these are the bottles we use. So far we really like them. We had some trial and error with the nipples at first, and settled on the latex nipples. She really fiddled with the silicone nipples and after a few times of this we decided to try another nipple. The nice thing about the starter set is it comes with a variety of nipples. She really took the the latex nipple a lot better. After about 2 months we actually switched her to the fast flow and she has been great at taking a bottle when needed since then. I really like the liners and how easy they are to dispose of. It makes it really easy if we are on the go. No bottles to clean, although you still need to clean the nipples. The one negative about the latex nipple is it is not as strong as the silicone and can only be hand washed. Annoying but tolerable. We picked up some extras and are all good. I don't have any pictures of Elle being bottle fed, sorry :(

Carrier - Baby Bjorn - We registered for this and I really wanted it. Dad didn't really see the purpose so we didn't run out and get it. I saw it on sale at Target one day and decided to pick it up. I am so glad I have it! I don't use it as often as some moms do, but it really comes in handy. I have used it for shopping a few times, for walks around the block, for lots of different types of outings and even just around the house. So far I haven't really had any problems with it or experienced any pain. I always put a burp cloth around where her mouth touches since she love to lick anything in sight, this cuts down on it getting soaking wet. She faced in for the first few months but now likes to face out, especially is she is going to be awake.


Bumbo - We got the Bumbo for Elle when she was almost 3 months old. From the beginning she has had a lot of head and neck support and we felt the Bumbo was something we could all benefit from. Elle enjoys a few minutes of independence and we enjoy having our hands for a few minutes. When we first got it she would last maybe a minute in there. Now that she is older she can stay in her bumbo for as long as we will let her. We got the tray to go with it and throw some toys on there and she entertains herself for a while. She also enjoys eating it. I have friends that use the bumbo as a highchair and feed their son in it. I don't know that we will do that but it gives it another use. Its lightweight and easy to transport, we take it with us a lot when we go visit family.


High Chair - Fisher Price Space Saver- I really love this highchair because it is easy to use, easy to clean and it doesn't take up a lot of space. It attaches to one of our chairs and that is the number one reason I picked out this chair. Now that we have it I know a little more about it and realize it has a lot of good qualities. It is plastic so very easy to wipe down. The tray is easy to clean and dishwasher safe. It is easy to adjust the chair (it reclines) and the tray. We got this out when Elle was a little over 4 months old. We would put her in it during dinner time so she could get accustomed to being in her chair. She wasn't eating solids yet but we would put some toys on her tray and she never fussed. When we started her on solids it was great that she had already been in the seat a few times and didn't seem freaked out or uncomfortable being in the chair. The only negative I have is that after having the same generic pattern forever, they recently came out with a more feminine version in brown and fuchsia. I wish we had that one, but it doesn't really matter.


Here we are at our first family dinner with all of us around the table!


Stroller - Combi Cosmo EX -


We didn't register for a travel system, we have a great Jeep stroller from when Brother was younger so I didn't see the need for another full size stroller. We registered for this more compact stroller and I love it!! I love having it, it is so much smaller than the Jeep stroller but it isn't rickety or hard to maneuver. It is great for the mall and places with crowds where the Jeep feels like a monster. It is easy to get Elle in and out and it reclines well and is easy to fold and unfold. I am really glad we have this stroller. We started using it right around 4 months.


Bath time - We registered for the Summer Infant Mother's Touch Large Comfort Bather and got it.

Before even giving Elle her first bath one of my other new mom friends dropped this little thing off:

I was a little confused at first by this sponge but when it came time to give Elle her first bath (in the sink) I used this and loved it! It really protected her from the hard, coldness of the stainless sink and kept her in place. She fit great on it and really seemed to like the bath experience. We have continued to use this sponge even though we are graduated to the real bathtub now. She has grown a lot and probably is too big for this but I really like the convenience of it. I use the bath chair that we got to drape her towel over and sit her in before and after the bath. I am going to recommend this sponge to all future pregnant friends that ask for an opinion. I never would have looked twice at this but am so glad it was given to us.

These are some of our favorite things. I know it is a given that you will need most of these things, I just wanted to offer some insight from a first time mom on some of the pro's and con's.