Penny is 3 months old. Let me just let that sink in before I get started on this post… I can’t believe it! Time is FLYING by and I wish I could slow it down! She’s now in 3-6 month clothing (we started transitioning her over around 9 weeks), we get a TON of smiles and coos, and she’s really starting to show her personality.
Since we’re out of the “fourth trimester” (the first 3 months after they’re born), I wanted to share some favourite things that helped us through the first few months with our little peach. Some of these I’ve touched upon in previous posts, but wanted to incorporate them here since we liked them so much!
DOCKATOT/BABY SLEEPER
We actually ended up with two sleepers – a DockATot and a baby sleeper I received from our baby shower. I purchased the DockATot used a few weeks after I found out I was pregnant, because a) they are SUPER expensive and b) they aren’t available for purchase in Canada but we wanted to use it as a daytime lounger for when we were all on the main floor (NOT as an overnight sleeper since it has soft sides and that’s a big no-no for newborns as an actual overnight sleeper). The baby sleeper I got from my baby shower is basically the same thing as a DockATot, and we kept that one in the basement for when we had movie nights. If I’m being totally honest, I think finding any baby sleeper will do the trick. The DockATot is nice, but when there are so many cheaper alternatives out there, and they all basically do the same thing, you could skip the DockATot brand.
AMAZON PRIME
I touched on this in another blog post (Tips From a New Mom) but honestly, Amazon Prime has saved us on MANY occasions. We have made sooooo many purchases off Amazon – diapers, diaper cream, cloths, the Rockaroo, and the list goes on and on and on. I think it’s about $100 a year, but I would pay for it over and over again. The 2-day shipping is a lifesaver. There were a few times where we were close to running out of diapers (you’d think that would be hard to do, but in the hustle and bustle of everyday all of a sudden you go from having plenty of diapers to like, 12) and we’d get them in 2 days, SOMETIMES even the next day they’d be delivered. Also, Amazon almost always had cheaper prices than our grocery store/drug stores, so it just made sense.
SWADDLE BLANKETS
These are something every new parent needs. Babies love being swaddled when they sleep because it reminds them of being in the womb. They also have a jerk reflex – they can basically startle themselves awake, and if you’ve spent precious time getting them to sleep, you don’t want that to go to waste with them waking themselves up!! We originally started with these, but Penny didn’t like them. We think its because she could move her arms a little bit and wiggle inside of it (since it’s just a zippered sleeper, it didn’t hold her arms down by her sides), which was keeping her up. So after a few tries, and taking a swaddle break to see if that was the issue, we ended up using these (and still do!). The Original swaddles are Velcro’d, so you control how much her arms can move. We use this anytime she’s sleeping in her bassinet – we like them and so does she!
ROCKAROO
We waited until Penny was almost 6 weeks old before getting a swing. There are SO many on the market, and I had read that some babies prefer to swing one way, while others prefer no swing at all so we didn’t want to purchase one until we had an idea of what she’d like. We were debating between the Mamaroo and the Rockaroo by 4moms, but decided to purchase the Rockaroo (with the newborn insert). It’s got a super small profile, so it doesn’t take up a lot of room in our living room which is a big yay for us! We use this as a part of our daily routines – wake up, change, eat, play/swing, back to sleep! Typically this helps lull her to sleep, and then we move her into the DockATot or her bassinet. She seems to really like it, so I’m happy we bought it!
PLAY MAT
One of the first things I added to my baby shower registry was a play mat – this one! It caught my eye because it’s a 5-in-1, so it can be used for a long time, not just for when she’s a baby working on tummy time (it says birth-24 months). It came with plastic balls so it becomes a BALL PIT when she’s older (we are super excited to see her play in that)!! She loves the songs and lights that the elephant plays, and can stay entertained for a long time. It’s colourful and fun and we love it.
ACTIVITY CENTRE
Around 11 weeks, once Penny showed some decent head and neck control, we started putting her in her Finding Nemo activity centre and she seems to like it! At first, she wasn’t a huge fan but I think it’s because her neck was still a little wobbly and it was a new way of playing – sitting up – as opposed to laying down which she was used to. We still have a blanket behind her head (she’s got good control, she just can’t quite pull herself back up yet) to keep her more upright, and she gives BIG smiles to all the characters as we spin her around. She likes the music and the lights, and honestly, who DOESN’T love Finding Nemo?!
ZIP SLEEPERS
Sleepers are what Penny wore for the first month we had her – with all the diaper changes, and with how much she slept, it just made life so much easier. We had most of our sleepers from Carter’s (my favourite is sold out, [it’s a milk & cookies print!] but I linked another favourite) and they are SUPER affordable. We ended up with 7/8 newborn sleepers all from Carter’s and we really liked them (some zippered, some snaps, but the zippered ones are the best because they make changing her diaper super speedy). I’ve continued to buy sleepers from them for the next sizes up since we like them so much!
GRACO STROLLER
This isn’t her favourite product, BUT she loves going for walks so the activity is considered a favourite of hers! Penny LOVES going for walks. Some days she falls asleep, other days she’s awake the entire time looking around at all the scenery. As a gift, my mom bought us our stroller – the Graco Modes Jogger in Admiral and it makes going for walks a breeze. It came recommended from our friends and we are so happy we have it! It’s expensive BUT it’s got some amazing features – the car seat clicks into the stroller and car base, so you don’t have to worry about moving babe from one to another (because who wants to wake a napping babe to move them from one seat to another? Not us), and to collapse it, all you do is turn the handle and BOOM it’s collapsed and low profile. I can collapse the stroller with one hand which is an absolute must as a new mom – my hands are always full. It’s a jogger so you could go running with it (we’ll see if that happens…) too!
I can’t wait to see what her new favourites are as she gets older – it’s so fun watching her learn and play and grow!! Does your little one have any faves that we should look into? Mom to mom – I’m always looking for recommendations!!
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— Rachel
growing the senay's 