Top 10 3-Month Essentials

Top 10 3-Month Essentials by agalandherdog on Polyvore

My Polyvore board obsession continues with my Top 10 Essentials at the 3-Month mark . . .

1. Up & Up Diapers. I started out as a hardcore Pampers Swaddlers advocate, and initially hated the Target Up & Up diapers that I was gifted by a coworker, because they didn't have the nifty indicator stripe. Now that I'm a little more seasoned and can tell a wet/dirty diaper by just looking at my child (well, not yet, but I'm getting there) I have to say that I'm digging the Target brand -- mostly because of their MUCH cheaper price tag. We are about to transition to Size 2 diapers, so our final Size 1 tally will ring in around 618. Yowza! That's a lot of diapers.

2. Fisher Price Bouncer. A friend once told me that the more things you have to rest the baby in, the better. Well, I'm here to say that she was right. Hadley loves this bouncer and the gender neutral, toned-down color palette works well since this gets moved between our bedroom, the living room, library and kitchen frequently. She's even started to notice the birds recently, which is ohmygodsosweet!

3. Nosefrida Snotsucker. I know what you're thinking. Most disgusting thing ever. But . . . but! I'm here to tell you, it's the most AMAZING thing ever. You need one. Seriously, order one right now -- I'll wait. You will be amazed at the things that come out of your child's nose. I use this sucker (no pun intended) every day. I pop a few drops of saline in her nose, insert the tube in the very tip of her nose and suck the other end. There is a disposable filter and about a foot of tubing preventing any stray boogies from coming anywhere near your mouth. Plus she hates this 100% less than the crappy blue bulb thingy. I'm way too interested in my child's snot now. Moving on . . .

4. Avent bottles. As evidenced by this post, we had a leeeetle bit of an issue getting Hadley to take a bottle. I swear I tried all of the bottles out there and have a huge box in her closet to prove it (Avent, Tommee Tippee, Breastflow, Ameda . . . you get the point). Well, after she got over her initial hatred for bottles, and we got into the swing of things, the Avent ones quickly moved to the forefront as our favorite. The nipple doesn't collapse and they are a cinch to clean.

5. Joovy Scooter Stroller. I did a lot of stroller research because let's be honest, 1. strollers are important and 2. they are expensive. I landed on the reasonably-priced Joovy Scooter (I got it on sale for $99) and I L-O-V-E it. Our car seat pops right in (no converter kit required), it's easy to collapse and throw in the back of our SUV and it looks just as good as the much pricier models. We've clocked many miles in our neighborhood with this thing and took it on a recent outing to the mall and I couldn't be happier with it. It's not a jogging stroller, so it doesn't do well with rugged terrain, but it is perfect for my needs.

6. Munchkin Bottle Warmer. I'm lucky that my baby will take a bottle at pretty much any temp (see how quickly things can change in the wonderful world of babies -- she goes from refusing to take a bottle to guzzling them down at any temperature). However, I like to use this bottle warmer when we're home to take the chill out of her formula. It's easy to use and does the trick at a great price point.

7. Fisher Price Swing. I'm obviously a fan of this Snugabunny line from Fisher Price. Just like the bouncer (and the Rock and Play from this post), Hadley loves her swing. We put it in front of a big window so she can see out into the back yard and she turns into comatose baby. Bam. Instant nap.

8. Avent Pacifiers. Any mom out there will tell you that pacifiers are serious business. Who knew something so small could cause so much debate? Like the bottles, we've tried many pacifiers and Hadley is full-on obsessed with these. I know I might have to break her of this bad habit later, but anything that makes my child happy gets top billing in my book.

9. Pacifier Clips. To keep track of said pacifiers. Babies can turn a pacifier into a projectile like nothing else, so a cute little ribbon to tether them to their outfit (or swing, or bouncer) will save you from playing fetch all day. I'm toying with the idea of making my own because the color selections I've seen at my local haunts are very limited.

10. Bright Starts Safari Gym. I posted about the major deal I scored on this play mat here. We use this every single day. It has tons of detachable developmental toys, along with lights and sound. Hadley smiles instantly when we lay her down. It's also great for tummy time.

So there you have it.

You can click on the Polyvore set for where to find all of these items, and my Top 10 Newborn Essentials are here in case you missed them.