As it turned out, it was just 5 weeks later when we rushed to the hospital and welcomed Landrie Grace into our lives and hearts! I was literally at my baby shower when Brianna went into labor! We certainly didn't have everything listed in the Babies R Us registry list. Would it be possible to bring home a baby?? Yup, we did! These are the 1st year of life things that the Long family loves the most!!
10. Burp Cloths GALORE! These are a must have if your baby spits up (and I hear a lot do!)
Steal: Gerber 12 pk. of white cloth diapers at Walmart for less than $2 a cloth
Splurge: Cute personalized or embellished ones! These are so fun for shower gifts!
$18 for this set on Etsy. Go to this shop if that item is sold.
This $62 show stopper has it all! I found it here. I need to stop. Maybe I should have done a whole post on cute burp cloths...
9. VIDEO baby monitor! We can't get enough of watching Landrie on this! Is she breathing? Is she awake still? A hint I never would have thought of is to get it at Walmart! $130 instead of $180 at Babies! This is SO worth the $$.
(Still need help convincing your husband?? My friend Laura still uses one with her 5 year old! Mount it up by the ceiling, and you can remotely monitor a whole room.)
8. Formula Dispenser- We call it the formula wheel and us it ALL the time! I work in the nursery at church and have seen it all- jumbo formula cans in the bag, extra bottles to hold the powder, prefixed bottles with ice packs...just get one of these!
There are 3 sections for 3 bottles, so you can go out all day! They are $4.99 here at Babies R Us.
7. Little shoe SOCKS! No matter how cute the baby shoes are, they will NOT stay on your sweet baby's feet! Landrie wore these socks constantly during her first 7 months of life (Sept-March, so it was cold!)
These at Target are only $9.99 (online only). I did boy ones because my list is maybe a little girl product heavy. :) Click this link to see all the ballerina, cute stripes and mary janes.
Landrie had some like these. Are you kidding me?? They are beyond adorable!! They are $18 here. They are Mud Pie, which you can find in lots of boutiques and at Charmin Charlie's (yes, the place with great jewelry has a little baby section!) I found these online for I just found out you can find some of them for $14.99 at Target too! Look here! I consider these socks a steal (kind of) because we didn't buy Landrie any shoes. I guess you could also just go in plain socks but they are hard to match and always feel off of her feet.
These at Target are only $9.99 (online only). I did boy ones because my list is maybe a little girl product heavy. :) Click this link to see all the ballerina, cute stripes and mary janes.
Landrie had some like these. Are you kidding me?? They are beyond adorable!! They are $18 here. They are Mud Pie, which you can find in lots of boutiques and at Charmin Charlie's (yes, the place with great jewelry has a little baby section!) I found these online for I just found out you can find some of them for $14.99 at Target too! Look here! I consider these socks a steal (kind of) because we didn't buy Landrie any shoes. I guess you could also just go in plain socks but they are hard to match and always feel off of her feet.
6. Take and Toss BPA free feeding stuff from Walmart- My friend Kimi has 3 kids all within 17 months! If they are good enough for her, I knew I had to try them! Sippy cups can be $10 and they get nasty and lost. These are not 100% leak proof, but pretty close! We only use them at the table anyways. The bowls and spoons work perfectly, and we don't worry if they get lost! This set is $10.47, but if you get just the containers or spoons they are $2-3.
5. A diaper bag you LOVE! This is another place I think you should splurge. Think of how much you will spend on cute clothes, hats, shoes and BOWS for your baby so she looks cute when you go out. That diaper bag will be on your shoulder every single time!
These are Sunny Mays REVERSIBLE messenger bags. We have the one on the top (it reverses to the pink and brown) and CONSTANTLY get compliments on it. It holds a TON (those outside pockets can easily hold 3 bottles!), but is cloth so it works great with not as much stuff too. Find a great bag you love with some great pockets- it doesn't need to be from a baby store! We'll use this bag for years.
4. SWADDLE MEs!!! We would not have made it through the first 1/2 of Landrie's life so far without these! No matter how hard we tried to use all of those receiving blankets to swaddle her, she would wiggle a squirm, a hand would pop out, and she'd hit herself (darn those newborn reflexes!) and wake up. These are EASY and use velcro so they stay put!
Landrie used these her first week home...
....and loved this pink fleece one for the winter.
She was in one for every nap and bedtime until she was 5 or 6 months!
3. BOWS!! I LOVE Landrie to have bows in her hair all the time! That means we need a small, medium and large of every single color in the universe, including all 3 shades of pink. Bows can be up to $13 at a boutique, and I've seen them for $8 at Once Upon a Child, which is a resale store. YIKES! This is not a place to spurge because they get dirty and lost easily and you need a LOT. I'm about to reveal a big secret... SAM MOON!
This set of 12 BIG bows is only $15.50, and you can order online! They have tiny ones, polka dot ones, or even
these adorable corkscrew ones! ($16.50 for all 7!)
If you live or ever visit Houston, Austin or DFW, then you are in luck! The store is full of fun jewlery, luggage
and bags! There are lots more bows and even those lace baby headbands- 3/$1! If not, it looks like you can order online too.
2. Mum Mums! These are like little rice cakes for babies! My friend told me about them and Landrie can't get enough of them! They are easy to hold and dissolve almost instantly like Gerber Puffs. The GREATEST part is that they are ultra convenient (see that baby with a pack in his back pocket?) because they are wrapped in a 2 pack that's easy to throw in your bag and they are big enough that it takes Landrie awhile to eat. She loves to eat them in her car seat, and unlike Cheerios, they don't get everywhere. I think they are a new answer to those ridiculously messy teething biscuits!
You can get them at Wal Mart or any grocery store by the baby food, right next to the Puffs!
1. Okay, this list is in no order. I'm just here on bedrest, adding to it as I think of things! So, this is not my fave of all time, let's just consider all 10 as tied. Nope, I think #9 should actually be in the #1 spot. :)
So, here's the last MUST HAVE: Bumkins plastic bibs! We ruined a ton of adorable cloth bibs when Landrie started solids (those darn carrots!), then I tried these...
They just wipe clean! every few meals (or after oatmeal or spaghetti!) I throw it in the washer and let it air dry. The stains come out! You can only get them at Babies R Us or online, but they are worth it. I bought a cute copy cat one at Target, and it's already showing wear. They are about $6.50 each, so a little pricey for one bib, but they will last for years!
I obviously didn't include the ones like a swing, diapers or books. Everyone gets those! I wanted to share some things that I was introduced to this year, or things that I had no idea I would love as much as I did!!
Now, it's your turn! Leave a comment to share your all time baby faves! It seems like there's always a baby in our lives, so we've all got one to shop for, right??
These are Sunny Mays REVERSIBLE messenger bags. We have the one on the top (it reverses to the pink and brown) and CONSTANTLY get compliments on it. It holds a TON (those outside pockets can easily hold 3 bottles!), but is cloth so it works great with not as much stuff too. Find a great bag you love with some great pockets- it doesn't need to be from a baby store! We'll use this bag for years.
She was in one for every nap and bedtime until she was 5 or 6 months!
3. BOWS!! I LOVE Landrie to have bows in her hair all the time! That means we need a small, medium and large of every single color in the universe, including all 3 shades of pink. Bows can be up to $13 at a boutique, and I've seen them for $8 at Once Upon a Child, which is a resale store. YIKES! This is not a place to spurge because they get dirty and lost easily and you need a LOT. I'm about to reveal a big secret... SAM MOON!
This set of 12 BIG bows is only $15.50, and you can order online! They have tiny ones, polka dot ones, or even
these adorable corkscrew ones! ($16.50 for all 7!)
If you live or ever visit Houston, Austin or DFW, then you are in luck! The store is full of fun jewlery, luggage
and bags! There are lots more bows and even those lace baby headbands- 3/$1! If not, it looks like you can order online too.
2. Mum Mums! These are like little rice cakes for babies! My friend told me about them and Landrie can't get enough of them! They are easy to hold and dissolve almost instantly like Gerber Puffs. The GREATEST part is that they are ultra convenient (see that baby with a pack in his back pocket?) because they are wrapped in a 2 pack that's easy to throw in your bag and they are big enough that it takes Landrie awhile to eat. She loves to eat them in her car seat, and unlike Cheerios, they don't get everywhere. I think they are a new answer to those ridiculously messy teething biscuits!
You can get them at Wal Mart or any grocery store by the baby food, right next to the Puffs!
1. Okay, this list is in no order. I'm just here on bedrest, adding to it as I think of things! So, this is not my fave of all time, let's just consider all 10 as tied. Nope, I think #9 should actually be in the #1 spot. :)
So, here's the last MUST HAVE: Bumkins plastic bibs! We ruined a ton of adorable cloth bibs when Landrie started solids (those darn carrots!), then I tried these...
They just wipe clean! every few meals (or after oatmeal or spaghetti!) I throw it in the washer and let it air dry. The stains come out! You can only get them at Babies R Us or online, but they are worth it. I bought a cute copy cat one at Target, and it's already showing wear. They are about $6.50 each, so a little pricey for one bib, but they will last for years!
I obviously didn't include the ones like a swing, diapers or books. Everyone gets those! I wanted to share some things that I was introduced to this year, or things that I had no idea I would love as much as I did!!
Now, it's your turn! Leave a comment to share your all time baby faves! It seems like there's always a baby in our lives, so we've all got one to shop for, right??
I loved all the additional ideas you guys had for the "Make your teacher love you" post below! Check out the comments for more. Here's a great one from fb too:
"As a former teacher...LOVE the last BLOG! Great ideas! Another great gift idea...Talk with the parents in your class about Christmas or Birthday present for the teacher. Have all parents donate $5 for a gift for the teacher. (You can't get much for $5) Then put the cash in a card or get a gift card to a department store. I had a room mom do this for me for Teacher Appreciation. 20 kids donated and I got a $100 dollar gift card and no coffee mugs! :) -Tiffani"
