My Baby Must-Haves, 0-3 Months

It is crazy to think that our Little One is 14 weeks old. He is starting to laugh, reach for toys and has started grabbing his thighs during diaper changes. He loves to catch the eye of someone nearby with his smile and has graduated to using a talking voice to get our attention when he is bored instead of crying. He is getting louder... his crying is louder, his jabbering is louder and his burps are louder!

During these first three months, I have used a few items that I would call my "must-haves." I thought it would be fun to list them here, and then post updates in the months to come as to what I find most useful for each stage. It is true that not much is really needed for a baby, aside from some sort of diapers (be it cloth or disposables), clothing, blankets and a car seat, but there are some products out there that have been so great that I think it's worth mentioning them.

When I was a nanny I was introduced to the Miracle Blanket. At first The Mr. and I didn't buy one ourselves, as we were having success swaddling our baby with large flannel receiving blankets. However, soon came the day when The Little One could easily wiggle his way out of the receiving blanket swaddle, even if I used two and double swaddled him with the help of YouTube videos, he would manage to get out of it. So, I definitely suggest the Miracle Blanket because we picked one up and started using it immediately and I truly think that a good swaddle is an important step in helping your baby get a good night's sleep.

The second item I love right now is my Moby Wrap. I use the hug hold and find this wrap very supportive for both baby and mommy. I like how the weight of the baby is evenly distributed and there are no straps to dig into or pull on my shoulders. The Little One weighs around 14 lbs now and I am still comfortable carrying him in the wrap. I often wear him in the wrap when I know he is going to need a nap and the stroller is not an option for where we are at the time. I have had him nap in the Moby while visiting the outdoors with friends and family, walking around a disc golf course and also for hiking in the San Juan Islands.

The Little One sleeps in his crib, and the Angel Care Movement and Sound Monitor gives us peace of mind as to his safety. This monitor not only monitors sound, but it has a sensor pad that goes under the crib mattress that is sensitive enough to detect breathing movements. It is incredible. In the first few weeks of The Little One's life, I don't know if I would have slept at all without this product. It was so nice to be able to look over at the digital parent unit on my bedside table and watch the little pendulum swing back and forth, which shows that the monitor in the nursery is still picking up movement from the baby. If at any point movement is not detected, an alarm sounds on both the parent unit and nursery unit.

We use Weleda Baby Calendula Shampoo and Body Wash at every bath. For a while The Little One had quite a struggle with baby acne on his face, shoulders, chest and upper back. When we were at the S family's home for a visit, I borrowed this wash while bathing The Little One as I had left my regular baby wash upstairs in the spare room. That day I noticed a considerable clearing of his skin, and over the course of our stay his acne cleared up almost completely with the continued use of the Weleda product. I immediately went out and bought some and haven't used any other wash on his skin since.

The last item I will share today is the On Becoming Baby Wise along with the blog Chronicles of a Baby Wise Mom. I know that this book has had a bad rap in some circles, but like all things, you have to take it with a grain of salt. Above all things, a mom has to do what is best for her baby at all times and listen to the cues the baby is giving her. I started a routine with The Little One when he was just a few weeks old and we have continued that till this day. For the first two months we were flexible with his schedule, but focused on being consistent with his routine of "eat, wake, sleep." Now that he is 3 months old, this routine has led him to naturally fall into a schedule. His daily schedule changes by 30 minutes here or there if he wakes earlier, is hungry earlier or there are other factors involved, but generally he follows the same pattern every day. At 14 weeks old, he is eating every three hours between 7am and 7pm, goes to bed at 7:30 pm, has a dream feed at 10pm, and is sleeping 8 1/2 hrs through the night. I highly suggest Baby Wise and the blog Chronicles of a Baby Wise Mom is an amazing resource, answering all sorts of questions a Baby Wise mom might have.

So there you have it, my Baby Must-Haves for 0-3 months!