Show Us Your Life - Baby Gear

This week Kelly is featuring Baby Gear on her Show Us Your Life Friday.

I am excited to share some of the baby items that worked great for Ryan and also some things we didn't use or care for. Hope these will be helpful for all you new and expecting moms out there (hmm Kelly =).

THINGS THAT WORK (WORKED) FOR RYAN:

SWING - Ryan loves his swing. We got a Graco swing and he has loved it from day one. He has taken many naps in his swing and I love that it has 3 levels of incline.

SNAP-N-GO STROLLER - This has been a lifesaver. We purchased a Graco travel system and it's been awesome to take Ryan on walks with but it's a little too bulky and big to take into stores (like carters) with small aisles. And heavy to load and unload in the car if I have alot of errands to run. The snap-N-go has been so convenient, lightweight and small. Even it you go with a travel system I highly recommend also getting a snap-n-go for quick errands.

BOUNCER - Ryan hangs out in his bouncer while I get ready and shower in the morning. He enjoys it and does very well in it. We even put it on the kitchen table when we eat dinner and he loves it. I know, you aren't supposed to put it on an elevated surface but it's secure and we are right next to him when he's in it.

DR. BROWNS BOTTLES - I had no clue what bottles to use when Ryan was born and there are soooo many to choose from. It can be quit overwhelming. I went with Dr. Browns after friend recommendations and have loved them. Ryan does great with them. I like the wide neck ones.

JUMPAROO - we just got Ryan his jumparoo and he loves it. He is so active and loves moving around in it. Everyone always comments on how alert he is for his age. The only problem is he spits up alot, especially when he's in it, so whatever he's wearing gets soaked, ha!

PLAY MAT - he loves his play mat and plays on it just about every day. He looks up at his toys and just kicks his legs. He loves to feel free to move around.

DIAPER STACKER - I have the diaper stacker on the end of Ryan's crib next to his changing table. Matt is great about keeping it stocked and it's within reaching distance when I'm changing Ryan. It's matches his bedding and so glad we got it.

AQUAPHOR - Ryan developed a really bad diaper rash days after he was born. We tried many different things to clear it up. So many people gave us recommendations and finally a co-worker of Matt's told him about aquaphor. We tried it and within 24 hours it was looking tons better. We haven't had a single problem or rash since. It also works well on little blemishes and scratches he gets on his face.

BIBS AND BURP CLOTHS - With Ryan's reflux I have come to appreciate good, thick, waterproof bibs and burp cloths. We love the cloth diaper burp cloths, they are awesome. And I love carter's bibs. They velcro on the side, are thick, waterproof and very cute. I have so many bibs it's almost ridiculous, ha! You can never have too many bibs and burp cloths.

AVENT FORMULA DISPENSER - we registered for this but didn't think we would really use it since I was planning to breastfeed. Since breastfeeding didn't work out for us and we use formula this little devise has been great. When Ryan was waking during the night I would load up the dispenser with formula and fill a bottle with water and put in his room. When he woke in the middle of the night all I had to do was add the formula to the bottle and I was ready to go. I didn't need to go downstairs and "make" a bottle. I actually still do this for his first bottle in the morning. Works great to feed him when we're out too.

PACK N' PLAY - Our pack n' play is in our family room. We use it as a changing table (it has a changing station on it) and a place to lay him down to nap during the day when I'm doing laundry or washing bottles or whatever. Unfortunately he doesn't use it as much as I would like since he doesn't nap much.

(We also had a diaper champ upstairs in Ryan's room as well as downstairs. One was given to us by a friend. Very convenient to have one on both floors.)

THINGS WE DIDN'T LIKE OR USE:

BOTTLE WARMER - We never warmed Ryan's bottles per our pediatrician's recommendation. We just use lukewarm water. Our dr. said just keep it consistent. If you always warm it up, continue to warm it up etc...

WIPE WARMER - Never used this and thought it was a waste of money to buy one. Never had a problem. Oh and we just use a washcloth to place over him down there when we change his diaper so he doesn't pee everywhere.

SONY BABY MONITOR- This baby item has been my achilles heel. I HATE this monitor. According to my Baby Bargains book it is ranked #1 and scored an A+ Ha, hahahaha! It beeps all the time telling me it's out of range. If you move in certain spots in our rooms it beeps. It's sooo annoying and so wish I had bought a different one! Maybe for baby #2 we will get a new one.

Hope this info helped! I know I found this information helpful when I was registering and getting things ready!