1) I was really torn on getting a double stroller when I was pregnant with Harrison. I thought I'd just make do with the single jogging stroller we already had for Selah and then carry Harrison in the Ergo. However, I'd had my eye on the Contours Options Tandem Stroller for a couple months and scored one on a great deal about a month ago and really like it. So not only do I not have to worry about the stroller being so wide that I can't fit through a doorway or racks of clothes at Target, you can configure the seats into 7 different positions, including a car seat attachment. That means I can have the kiddos facing each other in the future so they can conspire and plot against me.
2) Diaper bags. This was a difficult one for me to get on board with when I was pregnant with Selah. I'm a bit of a purse fiend and was more than a little reluctant to give up on my Tory Burch bags for some dowdy looking diaper bag. I was going to be a mom but I at least wanted to have some style while doing it! I tried the satchel style originally and it only took me a couple months to realize that it was driving me nuts with its lack of pockets and organizational 'skills'. I was considering the Petunia Pickle Bottom boxy backpack because I'd seen numerous moms carrying them and loved their fabrics and patterns. However, I asked a couple mom friends of mine for their opinions on the bags and only got so-so reviews on them but was given rave reviews about the JuJuBe bags. I spent an embarrassing amount of time looking at their bags online and went with the JuJuBe Be Hip. It's covered in a machine washable and wipeable fabric and has pockets galore! I loved this bag but realized that while this bag is great for carrying things you need for a toddler, I was probably going to need something a little bigger once Harrison arrived. Once again I looked at the JuJuBe bags and was torn between having more room for all the gadgets you inevitably need for an infant and not getting a bag that was so big it needed its own stroller. I decided on the JuJuBe BFF in the Magic Merlot fabric and sadly enough for my big dorky self, was super pumped to test it out when it arrived. These bags carry so much stuff without being huge. Last thing a mom needs when she's got a car seat with an infant hooked on one elbow and a writhing, screeching toddler under the other arm, is a diaper bag that weighs 20 pounds and is bursting at the seams with baby gear. I swore I would never ever own a diaper bag that had backpack straps because that to me was the diaper bag equivalent of a minivan but I'm tellin' ya, don't knock it til you try it. They're pretty freaking handy. Especially when hauling said screeching toddler out of a pumpkin patch for refusing to stop chucking handfuls of corn, for example.
3) Somehow we managed to get through 2 years of having kids without having a video monitor but I broke down and got one when we moved Selah out of her crib and into a big bed this past summer. I was curious and wanted to see what she was up to once we put her to bed and I will say, the girl is pretty entertaining. I wanted something decent but also didn't want to spend a fortune either. I decided on the Summer Infant Sure Sight and picked up an extra monitor for Harrison's room too so now I can obsessively watch to see if he's breathing and alive from the privacy of my own room.
4) I remember a friend giving us a SwaddleMe swaddle when Selah was born and wasn't quite sure what to do with it at first because, weren't the super cute and trendy muslin swaddle blankets going to keep my sweet baby from flailing around and giving herself an upper cut to the jaw in the middle of the night? They work if you actually know how to do a decent swaddle...which I do not. 5 minutes later and the baby is free and flipping out. So I gave the gifted swaddle a try and was hooked so I knew I needed more for when Harrison arrived. He definitely loves to be snuggled and feel cozy so these swaddles in fleece were perfect since it's currently winter here (although you'd never know it with the warm temps we've been having) and we like to keep the house a few degrees above 'are you kidding me?' cold.
5) Every baby is different. Yes, I know this and you'd think I'd know this going into baby numero dos but I'll use several hours of labor and sleep deprivation as my excuse that I forgot this rule. Selah never really took a pacifier. Girl could've cared less about them, which I kinda liked. Probably being a little braggy about the fact that my baby didn't like them nor need them was what bit me in the butt this time. Harrison is much more needy, if you will, than Selah was and sometimes the pacifier is just what he needs to take the edge off and get himself under control. That being said, his 7 week old wrestling moves sometimes get out of control and knock his pacifier out of his mouth and thus starts the whole 'calming yo'self down' routine over again. I was dragging my feet on the whole pacifier thing but figure if we were going to do it, we'd do it right and picked up a Wubbanub. The added weight of the stuffed animal helps keep the pacifier in his mouth...and Mom for not losing her mind when she's putting the pacifier back in for the twentieth time in 5 minutes.
6) Once again, the trusty NoseFrida comes to the rescue. Not only is Colorado as dry as a cork leg (as my dad would say), it being winter makes that dryness even worse and so Mr. Harrison tends to wake up with some lovely boogs that plug his tiny nose. He wasn't quite sure what to make of the booger sucking device at first but now I think he realizes that it helps him out and just goes with it. Big Sister is another story. She had a pretty nasty cold a month ago and has yet to get the real concept of blowing her nose so it took some serious convincing (and Dad holding her) while I did the dirty deed. This thing is worth its weight in booger gold.
7) I didn't have a lot of knowledge or proper support when it came to breastfeeding and pumping with Selah but I did know that this time around, I wanted to use the Lansinoh storage bags. I really prefer them over the Medela bags for a couple reasons. I have a Medela pump that I love (well, as much as you can love a breast pump) but I just was not loving the bags that are made to go with the pump. The material of the bags is super thick and not forgiving and I just don't like the attachment you can use to connect it directly to the pump. I can't tell you how many times I spilled breastmilk out of those bags while using that dumb attachment. However, the Lansinoh bags are not only bigger but they're made out of a softer material that I just like better.
So there ya have it...some favorites that are making my life a little bit better with 2 kiddos and I'll take all the help I can get!
No comments