Hello there old friend(s)!
It’s been quite a while since my last blog post! To be honest, I didn’t intentionally neglect this space, but with the busyness of this season and learning how to prioritize as a new mom, it kinda got left on the back burner the last few months. I would be lying if I said I didn’t miss it, so my goal is to slowly ease back into sharing more here! If you could only see the running note on my phone of all of the ideas and things I want to share… so I hope this is the first of many more blog posts coming soon!
I’ve been thinking about our boy here recently and how much he has changed! Parenthood can be so weird because one minute one thing is your “normal”, and then the next minute it has completely changed and you’re doing something completely different or completely new. I’ve learned that it requires a little bit of flexibility and adjusting, and also thank goodness for Amazon Prime!
The last time I shared a post like this, Maddox was only five weeks old. Looking back on that post I can’t help but smile… because the newborn time is such a sweet era, but also it only gets better and better with time! We love him more everyday and somehow he only gets more fun as he grows!
A lot has changed since then, including the majority of the gear we are now using! I found that our registry did a great job at covering *most* of the things we used consistently in the first few months, but around probably the 6 month mark is when I realized this was only the beginning of many, many more purchases that will need to be made for the tiny human in our life! Don’t let that fool you though… shopping for him is my second most favorite hobby, right behind taking his picture!
So with that being said, I wanted to share some of our favorite and most used products with our current nine month old baby! Of course all babies are different and have different needs, but this is what we’ve found works for us and some of the things we love.
Keep scrolling for an in-depth run through, but also here is a direct link to our current most used items and what I would imagine would be Maddox’s response if you asked him for his top recs 😉
Sleeping & Bath Time
We transitioned Maddox to his crib around five months and did Taking Cara Babies sleep training. It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, but 1,000% WORTH IT. Within a few days he was sleeping through the night and our sleep since then has been life-giving! We use this sleep sack every single night on this breathable mattress, and we love it.
We have this camera/monitor system in his nursery and it has been so helpful to keep a close eye on him now that he’s in his own room. We also have this monitor (will use when we travel) and liked it, but wanted one that had an external monitor aside from using our phones. We also use this for his sound machine and will eventually use it as a nightlight too when he gets a little bit older. Maddox will have his first hotel night next weekend and I just bought this to put over his pack and play in our hotel room, I’ve heard great things about it!
We transitioned to this sit-up seat in the tub, and Maddox loves playing with this fun toy every night in the bath! Here’s our daily lineup of products we use morning and night and the best hooded towel!
Feeding/Eating
We’re still currently going strong on our breastfeeding journey, and I am so grateful. I know that process can be a very hard one for so many, so I don’t take it for-granted. It has definitely had it’s ups and downs, but I’m so thankful for the last nine months and being able to spend that time together and provide for Maddox in that way. We still use and love the all of the same breastfeeding and pumping products like this pump, and my portable pump that was a game-changer while away on vacation in Croatia and still pumping. And this is Maddox’s favorite bottle still!
Around 5-6 months we started the fun journey of food, and it has been such a fun learning experience for us all! We are still learning too! I got this baby food maker for Christmas and love using it to make him purees – I follow this book for making them, and use this and these for storing them. Since then, we’ve continued doing purees and are now eating more and more table food. Maddox loves oatmeal and greek yogurt in the mornings in this bowl, and we are also big fans of this brand and all of their flavors and ingredients! We also put those pouches into these little popsicles and he loves to use them as teethers and he really loves these as a snack. Praise the Lord for whoever invented these bibs, because they catch all the things!
This is the high chair we use and it gets the job done, but the real MVP is this travel chair to take into restaurants. I’m a little bit of a germaphobe, and this thing is perfect for that reason! We don’t have to use restaurant high chairs, it just clips to the table and make sure to get the tray accessory so that baby doesn’t eat off of public tables and has a covered space! Game changer. Worth every single penny and then some! Oh and I bought this mat to put under out high chair at home because he inevitably drops everything on the floor and it makes cleanup so much easier.
Travel
We use our stroller system every single day. Walking is our daily break and many, many miles have been logged on our stroller, we love it more than ever! Plus all of these accessories for it. This is my diaper bag and I love having a backpack to be completely hands free now that he’s a lot more mobile. We are ending our journey now with this infant carrier (que tears) and just purchased this convertible car seat, will share our thoughts on it soon!
Play
Our big boy is all about playing these days and he has been loving this activity center since he was about 4 months old! We are officially on the move in this, which led to us having to baby-proof our entire kitchen because he loooooves the cabinets and drawers! My in-laws have this jeep one too and it’s precious. We frequently play outside when in this, and also have a new swing we use just about every morning.
My mom has this and he has recently been *very* into, I mean like aggressively bouncing. Also this cutie little toy moves all over the place and plays songs and he thinks it is so funny and can watch it over and over again – great to promote crawling and moving too!
We have lots of smaller toys and books we love, including these Indestructibles that are a genius invention. Speaking of genius inventions, whoever came up with this idea is brilliant.
Clothes
This summer we are living in playsuits! I love them because they’re soft and comfortable, lightweight and perfect to beat the summer heat. I pair them with these cuffed socks and little tennis shoes, and I die every time it’s so cute. I just ordered some new bamboo pajamas for him too, and they’re so soft. Of course if you want to see more of Maddox’s clothes, I’m always posting them here! Dressing a baby boy is just too much fun.
I am sure I am forgetting many things, but that’s *most* of what we use and love on a daily basis! This baby boy keeps us busy and so entertained every day! What a joy it is to know and love him!
xx,
Madison
